By Ashley Silver
Police1
WASHINGTON — The FBI recently released preliminary statistics on officers who were killed in the line of duty during the first nine months of 2022.
According to the findings, 92 officers were killed last year. Of those 92 deaths, 49 were felonious acts and 43 were accidental.
The number of officers killed as a result of felonious acts in the first nine months of 2022 decreased by 9.3% compared to the 54 officers killed during the same period in 2021.
The southern region had the most law enforcement deaths in 2022, with 47 deaths total, 24 of those being felonious and 23 accidental.
The leading circumstances surrounding officers’ deaths included activities related to ambushes on officers, investigative activity, unprovoked attacks on officers, and responses to disorderly or disturbance calls. The 10 ambush attacks in 2022 are a 100% percent increase compared to the 5 ambush attacks during the same period in 2021.
The 43 accidental law enforcement deaths reported this year have increased by 2.4% compared to the first nine months of 2021. Accidental deaths were primarily due to motor vehicle accidents, pedestrian officers being struck by vehicles, and airplane crashes.
Seventy-two officers have died in the line of duty from the following medical conditions in 2022: 51 officers from illnesses related to COVID-19, 10 officers due to heart attacks, 3 officers from conditions as a result of their response to 9/11, and 8 officers due to natural causes.
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FBI LEOKA 2022 Preliminary Statistics by epraetorian on Scribd